The Gladiators

Archival Summary & Scope

Superfit, courageous, and controversial, gladiators were simultaneously hero-worshipped and despised. For over six centuries, tens of thousands fought to the death in Rome's arenas, captivating bloodthirsty crowds. Professor Fik Meijer draws on contemporary evidence to reconstruct their true stories, detailing gladiatorial origins, daily life, training, and the brutal odds of survival against a populace's insatiable demand for spectacle.